A sign depicting Jews as demonic blue beings with a caption blaming them for the coronavirus pandemic was documented and shared on social media by Ohio-based reporter Laura Hancock on Saturday.
And #Antisemitism. #coronavirus #ohio pic.twitter.com/tcbF7MzEuZ
— Laura Hancock (@laurahancock) April 18, 2020
In her tweet, it appears that the state police ignored the sign. Protesters in Columbus Ohio marched outside the statehouse to voice their objection to the decision of state governor Mike DeWine to close schools on Saturday and enforce non-essential services to close down in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The state reported 9,000 coronavirus patients according to NPR and DeWine expressed hope the state could begin lifting these restrictions in early May.
Several US protests were reported on as citizens expressed anger over the forced stay-at-home policy and claimed they should make their own decisions and not the government. US President Donald Trump called in a tweet to “liberate Virginia” and hinted that the US second amendment, seen as the right to bear arms, is threatened by the new health orders.
While cases of Jews being refused service or causing alarm due to a misconception Haredi Jews carry a greater risk of being infected with the virus than other Americans, few people seem to seriously consider that coronavirus originated with Jewish people.